The present invention relates to decorative lighting for displays such as Christmas trees and the like.
String lighting systems are known in the prior art, being disclosed, for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,264,845 to Bednarz and 4,259,709 to Eddings. Specifically disclosed are flash circuits, sound and/or music elements to which the illuminators can be responsive. The string lights of the prior art still have disadvantages, including one or more of the following:
1. They are awkward to use in that they are restricted to a serpentine pattern;
2. They are difficult to support with the illuminators in desired locations on a Christmas tree in that the string presents excessive force loading at the individual illuminators for support thereof by fragile and limber branch extremities of the tree; and
4. They are visually unattractive in that major portions of string wiring are exposed to view.
It is also known to provide string lights with ornamentally shaped incandescent bulbs and/or ornamented sculptures that are lighted by the illuminators. U.S. Pat. No. 3,789,211 to Kramer discloses a string of ornaments having three differently colored lamps extending therein, the lamps of each color being pulsed at slightly different frequencies for producing randomly changing colored illumination of the ornaments. Unfortunately, these string lights are subject to each of the disadvantages listed above, only more so in that the lighted ornaments are significantly heavier than individual lamps.
Thus there is a need for a string light system that avoids the disadvantages of the prior art.